Grade-crossing guard



E. M. TOLSTON. I

GRADE CROSSING GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1918.

1,3 2, 50, Patented Dec. 21,1920. I

3 SHEEIS-SHEET I.

E. M TOLSTON. GRADE CROSSING GUARD.

APPLHQTION FILED APR. 6, 198- 7 1,362,650. Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

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IN$ULHTION To MOTOR O LIGHT TO UGHT O CORD jig \NSU LHTION \NSULHHON v E Mari/702270.19 ZEfsfan 9 M E. M. TOLSTON. v GRADE CROSSING GUARD.

I MPLICATION FILED APR. 6, l9l8- 1,362,650. Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-l.

ELZBERT MONROE TOLSTON, or Macon; GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF To Iran LAIN, or 31313 oounrr, enoaema GRADE-CROSSING GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

Application filed April G, 1918. Serial No. 227,049.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,'ELBERT MONROE Tons'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Macon, in the county of Bibb and State ofGeorgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grade-Cross ing Guards, of which the following is a specification.

My inventlon relates .to grade crossing is to produce a grade crossing guard which will normally stand open by means of a spiral spring, and which will be closed by a' motor having suitable connections with the guard and having a danger signal. carried'by' the guard in which an intermittent light is secured.

Finally the object of my invention is tel provide a grade crossing guard automati cally operated in one direction by a motor which maybe operatedfrom the train, depot signal tower or in yards by an operator using the ordinary push button for forming the contact by which thecurrent is sup plied to the motor orthe contact may be formed by a contactb'rush carried by. the engine" or car'and contacting with a supcured so that'the urrent will be closed between the motor and the batteries supplying the same; The invention, possessing advantages in points of simplicity' and efliciency, consistinginthe details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of porting board upon which thewiresare s e- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved grade crossing guard,

Fig. 2, is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electrical wiring for operating the device Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the wiring for the modification,

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the guard or Fig. 5 is aside elevation partly'in section of't'he guard;

Fig. dis a the contact brush carried by'the train,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the danger signal for the guard and Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of a front elevation of the contact brush secured to the front beam of the engine.

In the drawings 1 indicates the track of a railroad or railway which may be either a single or double track system as my im;

proved crossing guard may be operated upon both systems'and will require only the duplicatio n of the several. parts comprising the invention and which is crossed the roadway 2 at any angle. On each side of the roadway 2 and parallel with thera'il road track I secure posts 4 and 5. A gate or suitable guard 6 is secured by hinges to the.

post 5 and a spiral spring 7 having one'end securedto the guard and its opposite end secured to the post 5, normally holds the'.

guard in an open position when it is closed,

immediately after the train has passed befl yondfthe roadway the force of the spring will bring the; gate to an'openposition.

A motor 8 having a winding drum 9 connected theretois secured on the po's't and a flexible'connection lOihaving one endsew r d. 1 h t r e d f a er or as is onfie'ct 'dp t. so rc ts n iq thew nck ing drum and when the drum is operated b I.

themotorthe flexible connection is woun thereon and by such movement of the flexi-f ble connection the gate is closed. The flexi ble connection isof a suflicient so as to permit the guard or gate being swung back to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,

I secure on the guard or gate, intermediateits length, a danger signal having a rectangularfshaped frame 11 and a bottom board or plate 12 on which I securean elec-v trio bulb 13. A hood 14 provided with transparent letter on each side fits over the frame thereby protecting the light and displaying a danger signal during the night when the position of the gate cannot be observed by the operator of any vehicle. At one end of the frame, a post 15 extends above the hood to which I secured the wires supplying the current to the lamp 13.

A contact brush has a head piece 16 in Which fine copper wire forming a brush 17 is secured and between the head piece 16 and the wire brush 17 I secure suitable in sulating material 18 to prevent the current from passing through the brush head. A spiral spring 19 having one end secured to the head piece 16 and its opposite end secured to the side of the engine cab, 20, or when my invention is used on an electric railway, the spring may be secured upon the outsideof the front car, it only being necessary to secure the brush in such position that it will contact with the wires on a supporting board 21 which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The electric operation of my improved grade crossing guard comprises two separate systems, one system to operate the gate or guard and the other to furnish current to the light 13 in the danger signal. In my preferred form I use ordinary dry batteries, but any other suitable source of electricity may be employed it being understood that I do not limit the use of my invention to the use of dry batteries.

A battery 23 is secured on the post A and connected to the motor 8 by a connecting wire 24. A line wire 25 having one end secured to the battery extends across the roadway 2 to a crossarm 26 on the top of the post 5 and from there to the supporting board 21 and along the edge of the board 21 to its outer end where the wire terminates. A return wire 27 is secured to the supporting board immediately below the wire 25 and extends along the board 21 thence to the crossarm 26 and from there to the motor 8 thus providing an open circuit for the operation of the motor.

The current for the light 13 of the danger signal is supplied by a battery 28 secured on the post 5 to which I attach a, wire 29 which is suitably connected to the supporting board below the wiring for the motor. The wire 29. does not follow on one side of the board continuously but passes through apertures in the board and continues along the rear of the supporting board a short distance and then returns to the front of the board, this provides contacts of shortlength, which are broken and then renewed, causing an intermittent flashing of the light 13, in the danger signal. A return wire 30 is arranged in the same manner as the wire 29 and has its end connected to the battery 28 thereby forming a normally open circuit.

top of the ties adjacent to one end, and the contact brush is attached to the front beam of the engine or car so that it will sweep over the supporting board and form a contact with the wires.

The arrangement of the wiring, if desired may be placed in conduits in the ground and the supporting board located at any desired distance from the crossing guard, it being my purpose to provide. a crossing guard having means to automatically open and close the guard which can be erected and maintained at a nominal cost.

The operation of my device is as follows The guard being held in an open position by the spiral spring 7, the contact brush on an engine or train passing the supporting board sweeps over the wires and closes the circuits to the motor and lamp. The movement of the motor operates the winding drum and the flexible connection is wound upon the drum drawing the guard toa closed position. When the contact brush passes beyond the supporting board, the contacts are broken and the force of the spring being exerted upon the guard moves said guard to an open position and such movement unwinds the flexible connection from the motor and the guard stands then at an open position. 1

It is believed that. the construction and operation of my invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description, it being noted that various changes may be made in the proportions and details of construction without departingfrom the scope of my invention. l

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a grade crossing guard, a guard provided with an intermittently lighted danger signal, said guard being suitably pivoted to a post and adapted to swing across a roadway adjacent a railway crossing, a motor for moving said guard in one direction, and resilient means for imparting motion to said Y drum will move the guard to a closed position, a danger signal provided with an inter-,

mittently operated light secured on said guard, a supporting board secured parallel with a railroad track, separatev electrical conductors between said board and motor,

spiral spring for moving said guard to an open position and normally holding said guard in said position, batteries secured on said posts, a wire supporting board suitably secured parallel with the railroad track, electrical conductors between said motor and batteries, and between said supporting board and motor, a contact brush carried by an engine cab and adapted to sweep over the wires on the supporting board whereby a current is completed between said motor and batteries, and between said danger light signal and batteries substantially as described. In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELBERT MONROE TOLSTON. Witnesses:

ALFRED D. SMITH, W. H. H. MILLER. 

